


Tellia

by chamsie



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-25 05:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chamsie/pseuds/chamsie
Summary: Tsuna first noticed the box when he tripped over it on the way out the door to school.  It was a small, inconspicuous thing, a simple cardboard box about the size of several of his textbooks stacked together.A box of pacifiers shows up on Tsuna's doorstep one day, forever changing his life.





	Tellia

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I started this in April. It's been a long time coming, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 
> 
> This was inspired by a lot of great Arcobaleno & Tsuna fics. I directly borrowed certain elements from "Rainbows of the Sky" by Akari and Kitakami and "To Make Something of Yourself" by DreamingZombies. Both are on ffnet, unfinished.

Tsuna first noticed the box when he tripped over it on the way out the door to school.  It was a small, inconspicuous thing, a simple cardboard box about the size of several of his textbooks stacked together.  When he’d picked himself up and crawled back to look more carefully, he saw no shipping labels, no addresses nor names. Just a plain box with packing tape securing its contents inside.  

****

Considering its suspect nature, Tsuna should have thrown the whole thing out.  Who knew what was inside? But something niggled at him to take a look, and he was curious despite what common sense would dictate.  He picked the box up and brought it back to his room, surprised at how light it was for having tripped him.

****

The note inside was succinct.  

****

_Please care for these with your dying will.  They are most precious to me._

****

_\- Luce_

****

That was it.  It gave no more information and Tsuna read it over again incredulously.  

****

Then he looked up at the clock and realized he would be late if he didn’t leave right then.  Scrambling up frantically, the teen set the box and note down on his bed before sprinting out of his room.  He would deal with it later, when he didn’t have to worry about Hibari biting him to death for tardiness.

* * *

Several hours later, the front door opened and Tsuna walked back in.  He didn’t bother to call out a greeting. Mama was out at work, and he toed off his shoes with a sigh before making his way upstairs.  As usual, school had passed by in a blur of Tsuna trying his best to keep up yet still falling miserably behind. Sometimes he felt like he was starting to understand, but then the moment would pass and he was floundering amongst the numbers and letters again.  It was disheartening, as it always was, but Tsuna couldn't muster up anything more than weary apathy at the common occurrence. He’d ate lunch by himself and at the end of the day, came straight home. No one had tried to rough him up today and that was a blessing.  

****

The box from this morning sat where he’d left it on his bed, looking exactly the same.  Between the letter and running for school he hadn't had time to properly look at its contents, so it was with curiosity that he opened the top once more, took out the letter, and set it to the side.  Underneath it was cloth, folded over to bundle something, and when he lifted the fabric to reveal several round objects, he realized anticlimactically that they were pacifiers - like the kind used by babies.  Tsuna stared down at the set of seven on the velvet lining, all colourless and clear. They looked new and plastic - not a scuff in sight - but when he picked one up experimentally, he was surprised to note that they felt more like heavy glass than anything plastic.  

****

He wondered what was so important about these pacifiers.  Each one looked no different from the other, and their dull grey sheen was hardly worth looking at twice.  They were drab, a lot like Tsuna actually.

****

Befuddled, he turned back to the letter from Luce, hoping for some clue, but it remained as frustratingly ambiguous as it had been when he first read it.  

****

“Huh…” Tsuna sighed.  The letter paper was thick, the Japanese on it written in silky dark ink.  It looked expensive and fancy to him, and he wondered why Luce would leave their ‘precious’ pacifiers on his doorstep if they were rich.  Couldn't they take care of the objects on their own? Unsure what to do with the box, he slipped the letter back in and set it on the floor near his bed.  

****

Tsuna spent the rest of the evening half-heartedly trying to finish his homework, occasionally glancing back at the box.  He gave up after completing little more than half, then lounged around reading manga until Mama came home. After a quick dinner - simple eggs over rice because Mama was tired - Tsuna went back upstairs to complete his nightly routine.  Yet another normal and incredibly boring day, if not for the strange box and its letter.

****

That night Tsuna’s dreams were disjointed and strange.  The jumbled mess was more accurately described as an array of sensations and experiences than any actual dreaming.  When he woke the next morning, he remembered only the lingering scent of smoke and a warm glow, like that of a fire.  

* * *

_The chittering of the others would usually be grating to her ears, but right now, Lal could only find it comforting.  The sound washed over her like a gentle wave, familiar white noise in the unsettling situation they were currently trapped in.  It was nice to have allies, even if Lal would sooner shoot herself than ever admit it aloud._

****

_They weren’t sure what had happened or why they were with the boy now.  Where was Luce? Where was their Sky?_

****

_Waking up had been disorienting.  Everything had been pure dark until the boy - whoever he was - had found them and opened their box up.  Discussion amongst themselves had quickly brought alarming details to their attention. No one could recall how they came to be stuck in their pacifiers.  Their memories of what happened were foggy and disjointed, and the best anyone could remember was that Luce had called a meeting between them all before they woke up to find themselves trapped.  Lal wondered why that was. Luce’s eyes had been cast with sadness when they met. Had the woman known something would happen? Had she foreseen this?_

****

_Another mystery was the boy.  He was nothing exciting. He hadn't introduced himself, hadn't even said a word to them.  They could hear and converse with each other, but the boy could not. Verde was not impressed and even Fon was hard pressed to find any positive points.  Less than a day in his care, and Lal knew they were in for a rough time._

****

_It had been terrible enough to be cursed as infants.  Being stuck inside their pacifiers was at least a hundred times worse.  Lal couldn’t believe she was stuck here now with the rest of them. Was this another aspect of the Arcobaleno curse they hadn't been privy to? Why was she here when her own curse was broken and incomplete? Who was the boy and why were they with him?_

****

_What had Luce done?_

* * *

Over the next few days, Tsuna slowly took note of the special features of the pacifiers.  He’d initially thought them all the same, but a few days of picking them up to peer at them curiously showed him better. Each pacifier felt a bit different from the other.  Not literally as their smooth surfaces all felt the same strange cold-warm, something beyond what Tsuna could relate in words, but they left behind different sensations which were just as hard to describe.  One made Tsuna's skin tingle, like how one felt after a static shock though not as jarring. Another felt like rubbing against satin, the cool sensation lingering on his skin, leaving it sensitive. Yet another felt like dipping his hand into the waters of a spring.  

****

When he held them up to his window, the light shone through them so that it appeared as if liquid fire nestled in each pacifier.  It was his favourite observation about the pacifiers so far.

****

_Pretty_ , Tsuna had thought to himself the first time he saw it, the fire of the pacifier looking faintly blue in the afternoon sun.  He’d tested all the other pacifiers and was delighted to find they all contained the same beautiful flames. He thought they might be all different colours - a tiny rainbow collection - but the difference was so faint that he'd likely imagined it.  

****

Tsuna had never seen anything quite like them.  Were they secret family heirlooms? Perhaps Luce really was a rich person.  Maybe Luce was being blackmailed and, desperate to keep the pacifiers safe, had left them behind.  Then why leave them on a random doorstep? He had so many questions and theories and no way of learning the answers.  

****

Unwilling to risk breaking them, Tsuna hadn't dared move the pacifiers from their velvet lining.  Apart from the times he’d pull them out to examine, he generally kept them in the box, usually on his desk so he could peek at them while trying to do homework but sometimes on his dresser if he wanted more space to do things.  He’d stopped being so curious after almost a week, but he liked to have them nearby anyway for reasons he couldn't explain. Every now and then he had the uncanny sensation that they were watching him.

* * *

_Life inside the pacifiers was monotonous and boring.  Trapped as they were, their perception of the world was severely limited, even more so as the boy hardly interacted with them nor did he ever take them out of his room._

****

_Verde could see only as much of the room as his pacifier was exposed to at any one time, and the image was distorted as well - foggy and dull like he was peering through a thick screen or frosted glass.  Not that the view was spectacular. The boy’s room was plain with the only remarkable aspect being how messy it was. Clothes littered the floor, manga lay haphazard across his desk and drawer, and the bed covers remained undone every morning.  Conversing with the other Arcobaleno was dissatisfying, and the conversation was lacking anyway as they were all stuck in the same place experiencing the same view. Skull and Colonello had made valiant attempts to keep the chatter going, but even Fon was unwilling to go along with such a pitiful endeavour.  They often lapsed into their own thoughts for long stretches of time._

****

_It was_ unbearable.   _Verde longed for his lab and tools.  Even a baby’s body was preferable to this.  At least he would have use of his limbs and faculties, could move and do things despite the frustration of being stuck in the body of an infant.  Living in the pacifier was a slow torture of the worst kind, and the boy Luce had left them with was a dunce. He was no help whatsoever._

****

_With little to do, Verde had been forced to observe the boy just for any mental stimulus, no matter how small.  He was no more impressive than he’d been from day one. In fact, he was abysmal. The brunet struggled with the simplest of math problems, and he was lazy on top of that.  The boy had no extracurriculars and apparently no friends either as he spent almost every day lounging about his room like a massive barnacle. His only saving grace was that he was conscientious enough to not leave them lying around carelessly, which was also frustrating for its own reasons.   Being kept safe inside the box meant they were also stuck in a box all day long, with all the excitement of a cardboard box to entertain themselves._

****

_The closest to interested Verde had been the entire time they'd been in the boy's care was when they were being examined.  The boy was still stupid and irritating, but his expression was more organic when he handled them. A bit more soft. Interested.  He was a bit more tolerable to Verde during those times._

* * *

Today had been bad to say the least.  Nezu-sensei had called him out twice in math class.  Both times Tsuna hadn't had an answer, had to fumble out a half-hearted mumble, and burn with shame at the ensuing scolding and snickers from his classmates.  At lunch, some bullies from the grade above had caught Tsuna before he could flee with his food. Meager as his bento was (Mama had left early for work, which meant Tsuna had been the one to throw it together), he’d been planning to eat it.  Having it thrown out had been a disappointment, and the hunger left him irritable the rest of the day. Hibari had given him a beat down after catching him in the hallway late to the class after lunch, and to end the day, the same bullies had come back and pushed him around some more once he’d left the school.  He hadn’t been given a full beating, but his shoulder would bruise by tomorrow and his ankle twinged if he stepped on it at the wrong angle.

****

The house was quiet when he got back.  The greeting that had been on his lips died, strangled itself in his throat before it could be spoken. Mama wasn’t usually home these days, but the stillness was never any easier to greet.  

****

He’d gotten two steps past the entryway when the phone rang, shrill in the silence, and Tsuna went to pick it up.  

****

_“Tsu-kun!”_  Mama’s cheery voice rang out from the other end.  She sounded lively as always, but Tsuna had long learned to pick out the bone-tired undertone she tried so hard to keep hidden.   _“Sorry, baby! Mama has to stay late tonight so you’ll have to make your own food.”_

****

“It’s ok, Mama.”  

****

His mother hummed softly at that.   _“Tsu-kun is such a good boy. Remember to finish your homework!  Mama loves you!”_

****

“Love you too.” Tsuna mumbled back just before Mama hung up abruptly.  She probably had to get back to work.

****

The dial tone repeated shrill and grating.  He stared off at the wall, the sound reverberating like an angry drum in his ear.  

****

He knew it was stupid to feel so upset.  Mama was always busy and it wasn't like she chose to be.  It was hard being a single parent with a large house and a useless kid, but he'd had a terrible day and this was one more upset.  Mama being home meant a good dinner, meant a house that didn't suffocate him with how empty it was, meant he wouldn't go to bed with his heart heavy with the weight of his existence.  It felt so childish, but Tsuna just wished his mama were home to wipe his tears and tell him things would be alright.

****

Suddenly he was furious.  The anger grew swift, spreading through Tsun until he’d slammed the phone back into its cradle.  His hands were shaking, his whole body hot. His stomach churned and his head pounded.

****

The journey up to his room did little to cool him off.  Every step up seemed to echo, reminding him of his loneliness, taunting him.  By the time Tsuna made it up to the second floor, he was seething with rage. He wanted his mama.  He hated that he wanted his mama there.

****

Slamming his bedroom door open did nothing to make him feel better.  The loud smack as it hit the wall gave him a split second of satisfaction, but then he was angry again.  He didn’t ask to be bullied. He didn’t ask to be pathetic. Why couldn’t other people just leave him alone?  Why him? Why was his life like this? Why did he put up with this kind of crap every day? Why couldn’t his mama be home today?  

****

He wanted to scream and shout.  Wanted to hit something or cry or both.  Frustration ran hot and toxic beneath his skin to coil like a snake in his gut as he stomped around.  Furiously, he swiped at his dresser knocking over the few items sitting on top. They toppled over, some hitting the floor, others dropping onto his bed.  With a loud thud, some of his manga flew off and hit the box on his bed, upending it in an unfortunate move. For one satisfying moment, he seethed with anger, then he realized what he’d done.

****

He’d knocked over the box.  The box with the pacifiers.

****

Panic settled over Tsuna immediately, like cold water.  Heart racing, he quickly moved to upright the overturned box, but the action caused all the pacifiers to roll out instead.  He suddenly hated himself for never properly shutting the lid.

****

“No, no, _no!”_  

****

They rolled across his bed even as he scrambled to stop them all, and it was with horror that he heard clinking as two of them rolled off the edge and onto his floor.  

****

Dread swiftly displaced anger, and his body vibrated with regret. Dame-Tsuna couldn’t even get angry properly.  Instead of venting, he broke things and made his own situation worse. Guilty, he kneeled down and carefully picked up the two pacifiers that had rolled off.  A visual check showed no scuffs, scratches, or dents. He let out a weak sigh, relieved his carelessness hadn't resulted in any damage, but his heart raced on, the feeling of horror echoing through his entire body.   

****

“I'm sorry,” he croaked weakly.  “I didn't mean to drop you.”

****

What was he doing?  The letter had told him to care for them with his dying will.  If Luce knew what he’d just done, they would never have given him the box.  Not to Dame-Tsuna. Shame sat heavy in his gut. They weren't his pacifiers, and mortification at how close he’d come to damaging them burned across his face.

****

“I'm sorry,” he repeated, and somehow the action amplified his guilt.  The pacifiers weren’t alive, but someone had cared for them enough to wrap them in velvet and leave a note begging for their care.  Apart from his mama, could Tsuna say the same about himself?

****

“I...I shouldn’t have done that…”  He knelt by his bed, gently rubbing the two pacifiers in his hands.  All the anger he’d felt earlier was gone, replaced by a deep-seated exhaustion and disappointment.  The mix of feelings churned uncomfortably in his chest, growing stronger as he stewed.

****

“M-my name is Tsuna, but most people call me Dame-Tsuna,” he started shakily.  He didn't know what pushed him to speak up. Perhaps the sudden crippling feeling of loneliness as he sat by himself, worried over a set of baby items.  A part of him felt embarrassed speaking to the objects as if they were alive; another part had so much more to say. “I’ve been failing math class since the school year started and my t-tests are always more red than white.  I’m not part of any school clubs, and I don’t have a-any talents.

****

“I-I don’t have any friends and my mama struggles everyday to take care of a n-no-good, u-useless son like me…” He trailed off, breath hitching as his eyes stung.  Saying it out loud hurt, but it felt cathartic all the same. These were all facts he’d known long before today, and here, in this moment, it felt like he was facing them head on.  Like he’d stopped running, even for just a bit. He took a steadying breath, willing himself not to actually cry while confessing his failures to a motley collection of baby chew toys.  

****

“I don’t know w-why someone would leave you w-with me.”  He laughed weakly, the sound mortifyingly wet. “I c-can’t even take c-care of myself.  I think there m-must have been a mix up. Lu-Luce, whoever they are, loved you all enough t-to try and find a h-home for you all.”  

****

He breathed in raggedly and leaned back against his bed.  Confessing his failures to himself. He’d really hit a new low.  The pacifiers in his hands seemed to thrum with warmth, but that was probably because of how sweaty Tsuna’s hands had become.  His limbs felt shaky.

****

“I’m p-probably the l-last person you w-would want looking after you.  I’m s-sorry I’m so useless.”

****

He gingerly placed the two pacifiers he held on his bed near the others.  The group of seven colourless orbs suddenly looked so lonely to Tsuna, so small and fragile.  Something deep and determined welled up inside his chest. He wasn’t sure what it was - he might have called it resolve if he hadn’t been Dame-Tsuna - but he knew what he wanted to do.  

****

“I promise you I’ll find you a deserving home.  With my dying will.” He breathed out, copying Luce’s phrasing, as tears finally spilled over and down his cheeks.   Tsuna laughed with embarrassment and quickly wiped at his eyes. “Look at me….Being pathetic again.”

****

He slapped his cheeks and forced himself to stop crying.  He’d had enough. There was only so much self pity he could allow himself to wallow in.  No homework was done that night, Tsuna instead spending the time carefully setting the pacifiers back in their box and cleaning his room.  He didn’t want to risk breaking them again. Never again.

* * *

 

_All of them felt indignant when they were overturned and thrown about._

****

_Skull experienced momentary panic when he felt himself roll right off the boy’s bed and to the floor below.  Of course, the pacifiers weren’t going to break from a fall like that, but it was the principle of the thing!  He did not appreciate being roughed up like an object even if he technically was trapped in one at the moment. He heard the others grumbling from somewhere up on the bed, and wondered if anyone else had fallen with him._

****

_“No, no, no!”_

****

_There was the boy's voice, frantic and angry as he scrambled to collect them.  Skull wondered irritably why he bothered. It was foolish to regret if one did not even take measures to prevent._

****

_“I’m sorry,”_

****

_The boy’s hands were careful when he picked them up.  Skull almost couldn’t believe how gentle his grip was considering the violent showing they’d just been subjected to._

****

_“I didn't mean to drop you.  I...I shouldn’t have done that...”_

****

_No, he shouldn’t have.  Skull grumbled at the boy, never mind that he couldn’t hear him.  Never mind that it couldn’t have happened, if he’d damaged the Great Skull-sama even a bit, he would be in for it!_

****

_“Are you two still alive?”  Lal’s voice called out from the bed._

****

_“Yes,” came Fon’s reply from the boy’s other hand.  “It was not a far drop.”_

****

_“Of course we are!  No way a little fall can damage the Great Skull-sama!”_

****

_Skull could feel Reborn about to make a comment and prepared to yell back, but then the boy began to speak.  And what he had to say had them all silent. His name was Tsuna and he was lonely. So incredibly lonely. His voice was frail and his hands shaking, but the determined manner in which he forced out his words was firm.  He had a lot of words in him, for someone so quiet. It was the most Skull had ever heard him speak._

****

_Skull’s heart went out to him.  Tsuna was an underdog too._

****

_“I don’t know why someone would leave you with me...I can’t even take care of myself.  I’m probably the last person you would want looking after you. I’m sorry I’m so useless.”_

****

_Tsuna took a shuddering breath, eyes bright.  If he had a body then, Skull knew his eyes would have stung with sympathetic tears._

****

_Then the most miraculous thing happened: timid Sky flames reached out in response and Skull gasped in surprise.  The boy had such gentle flames. Soft and faint flames, but so pure and welcoming. Strong too, from the gasps he could hear coming from the bed.  Only he and Fon were being held, but it seemed the others could feel those flames as well._

****

_“I promise you I'll find you a deserving home.  With my dying will.”_

****

_The stuntman could almost swear Tsuna’s eyes flashed amber as he declared his resolve to them.  Powerful...but more than that, Skull felt the sincerity of the boy’s words._

****

_For them, Tsuna really would try, and a part of Skull believed that he would live up to his promise and find them a home.  So this was the boy Luce had entrusted them to...he was certainly unexpected._

 

* * *

Mama still wasn’t home by the time Tsuna crawled into bed.  After hours of cleaning his room, Tsuna had deemed it safe enough and set the box of pacifiers on his desk near the center, far from any dangerous edges.  He was emotionally tired, but he felt lighter.

****

As he drifted to sleep, Tsuna imagined he could see the pacifiers glowing different colours, a tiny  rainbow in his room. It was gorgeous and he felt himself smiling as he finally succumbed to darkness.  

 

* * *

Over time, the pacifiers somehow became Tsuna’s lifeline.  It felt like a lifetime ago when he’d first tripped over that inconspicuous cardboard box.  He never would have guessed its contents would become his dearest treasures. He spoke to them, held them carefully, and wiped them clean every day after school.  Maybe it was pathetic how much he had come to rely on the small objects. He was fourteen now and too old to be entertaining imaginary friends, but he didn't care.  He was Dame-Tsuna, and this was simply one more thing he could be pathetic about.

****

Tsuna had quickly warmed up after crying to them. In the back of his mind, he knew they were little more than inanimate objects, but they _felt_ so alive.  He could understand why Luce cared so much for them, enough to wrap them carefully and leave them with a letter of hope.  

****

Speaking to them was strange at first, even stranger trying to speak to them without address.  He’d soon given them names so he could feel less like he was talking to air. The names he chose were simple and straightforward.  Tsuna had never been much creative.

****

Static was the orb that left his skin prickling, and it glinted almost green in the sun these days.  Satin left his skin cool, while Fresh Spring felt like dipping his hand into water. There was Cotton and Softly; Warmth and Home.  His pacifiers. His confidants.

****

Sometimes it felt like they were comforting him, even though he knew they couldn't.  Each orb felt different to him, but the difference only seemed to become more pronounced as time went on - as if they were truly gaining life and personality of their own.   When he held them in his hands and told them about his day or just talked about what was on his mind, he imagined they were reacting to his words. It was so vivid an experience.  Tsuna wondered if this was what having friends was like.

* * *

_After Tsuna’s confession and his tentative display of Sky flames, the Arcobaleno had started to watch him more closely.  Whatever wariness they had stood little chance against Tsuna’s awkward, stumbling charm. They were beginning to like him, and it was happening fast._

****

_Apart from being more handsy with them, he also brought more interest into their life.  Hours of nothing to do meant every moment spent with Tsuna was all the more rewarding._

****

_It was not quite a Guardian bond - not yet - but it was something.  They could not reach out physically, could not speak up to the little Sky who radiated such affection to them, but they had their flames and their Will.  Wills which burned brighter and stronger the longer they knew Tsuna. They were all emitting their resolve to the boy who adored them so, some perhaps more consciously than the others._

****

_Viper would scoff at their behaviour, but they could hardly complain as they were also doing it themself.  Tsuna was something special. The boy who’d been so pathetic, the one they had dismissed at first, had a hidden value not easily spotted._

****

_Tsuna had been embarrassed to speak to them at first. They were lifeless objects to the boy, unable to answer or be heard.  Despite this, the boy still knew, even subconsciously, that they were alive and aware. He was especially sensitive to their flames, and Viper could almost see why Luce had left them all with him now.  There was something unique about Tsuna._

****

_The way Tsuna held them...carefully,_ reverently _, with a smile like Viper had hung the moon and the stars.  It was flattering, to say the least. The boy called Viper 'Satin’ and they, grudgingly, grew to accept it._

****

_His flames, so pure, couldn't lie - did not lie - to them.  It was hard to reconcile this vibrant Sky with the dull, reckless child that had thrown them around before.  He was easier to love than one first realized._

* * *

Things were going so well that Tsuna should have known it wouldn’t last.  

 

“Dame-Tsuna, you think you’re better than us now?  Is that what this is?” The lead bully growled out, fists raising. Tsuna was clearly, terrifyingly aware of how broad his shoulders were.  Of how thick his knuckles were. Four others were surrounding them, and their faces smirked with glee as they moved in closer.

****

“N-no, I-” Tsuna stuttered out, but he knew it was futile as the teens stalked closer.  His back hit the wall and he watched with dread as they fenced him in, giants that loomed above him like angry gods.  He’d dealt with beatings before, had years of experience, but it had been awhile since the last time and fear encompassed him.  His heart raced.

****

“I think it’s time to teach you a lesson again.  How about it?”

****

He squeezed his eyes closed and braced himself as the first punch hit.  

* * *

Mama wasn't home when Tsuna returned, a small blessing for him.  He had some time to hide the evidence, to think of an excuse, and to wallow in his misery.  His visage in the bathroom mirror was one of the most pathetic and forlorn he'd seen from himself in weeks.  He’d need some of Mama’s concealer for the slowly forming black eye, and his cheek was bruising badly. The last time he’d been beaten had been weeks ago, and he was no longer used to the pain.  It hurt so much more now.

****

When he stood in front of his bedroom door, that was when Tsuna felt some small amount of dread.  His pacifiers...they hadn't seen him like this before. They’d never had to see him this pathetic before.  He could hide this before Mama came home, but he couldn’t hide from them.

****

_Objects! They're not alive!_ Tsuna thought to himself, but the words rang hollow in his mind.  Alive or not, he’d grown attached to them, and he hated to think how they'd react if they were real and breathing.  

****

Steeling himself, he opened his bedroom door.  The cardboard box on his desk had never looked more intimidating.  He wasn’t sure why that was. Tsuna could just ignore it and get his stuff.  He didn’t have to talk to them. They weren’t alive.

****

Yet he couldn’t stop himself.  

****

Before he knew it, Tsuna had crossed the room to his pacifiers.  He greeted them reflexively, but the rest lodged in his throat and he couldn’t say anymore.  They were as beautiful as they always were, shiny and small. His heart raced as he picked the box up silently and carefully moved them to his bed before taking a seat beside them.  The quiet seemed to be anticipatory. It felt like they were staring at him.

****

_They’re not alive.  They’re not real friends._   

****

“Today was...today was not good.”

****

His hand trembled as he reached in and grabbed one at random - Home - and just touching the object sent a ray of comfort over him.  Protectiveness, concern, love. He felt cared for as he held his pacifier.  It was enough to break the scant composure he had mustered up in the bathroom.  

****

The reality of his situation crashed into him like a harsh wave.  No matter how attached he had become, the pacifiers he loved so much were still nothing more than lifeless objects.  Imaginary friends who never spoke, who never touched, who could never be friends back. It was so pathetic. He was just a kid, alone in his room, holding a baby’s toy.  

****

A sob tore from his throat and he collapsed back against his wall, tears spilling hot and fast to his shame.  

****

“Please,” he whispered brokenly, clutching the pacifier desperately to his chest.  “Please, stop the loneliness. I’m so tired. _Please.”_

****

Who he was pleading to he wasn't sure.  His pacifier? Kami-sama? Perhaps to himself.  The words felt futile, but they were the only reprieve he could find for the gaping hole in his heart, the empty space where happiness and fulfillment should have sat.  He did that for a long time, tears dripping to stain his sheets as he cried out his pain until, at last, he fell into a fitful sleep. Eyes closed, he did not see it, but the little pacifier he held glowed for him.  Tiny at first, with a gentle yellow hum, but then bright like the sun - a magnificent gold that shone strong through the night.

* * *

_They immediately knew something was wrong when Tsuna came back to his room._

****

_They couldn’t quite see him yet from their place on his desk, but they could feel the hesitance in his aura.  Sky flames churned and swayed, projecting Tsuna’s uncertainty long before he made his way over and leaned over their box._

****

_His face horrified them.  Bruises across his skin and flecks of dried blood where he hadn’t completely cleaned off the evidence.  Their boy, their little Sky. He was hurting and that was unforgivable. His injuries and, most importantly, his broken, defeated expression ignited their anger and protectiveness._

****

_“I-I’m home…” Tsuna called out to them, voice trembling.  It had been a long time since they’d seen him so meek, and it felt wrong._

****

_They waited for him to speak, but Tsuna didn’t.  He stared down at them, expression conflicted, and Fon’s concern grew with every second that passed._

****

_“Tsuna?”  Skull called out with worry.  It didn’t matter that Tsuna couldn’t hear them._

****

_Without a word, Tsuna picked up their box and moved them all over to his bed.  He sat with them for a bit, the distance between them a gaping yawn. They couldn’t see him, but they could feel him.  Close but not close enough._

****

_He reached in and pulled out Reborn, folding the hitman’s pacifier into his hands as he curled up and cried, the heartbroken sobs like physical blows to the helpless Arcobaleno.  In his pain, Tsuna must have been subconsciously drawn to Reborn’s Sun flames. Knowing that, Fon still couldn’t help the bite of envy in his heart. He wished to comfort Tsuna as well, his skin itching with a need to be closer._ _A storm brewed beneath his skin, tearing at its bit to reach out and envelope, to protect.  It’d been a long time since Fon had felt his inner core lurch and become so tumultuous. The pacifiers lay close by in their box, but even that scant distance was too much.  Almost without thought, he pushed his flames further, stretching them as far out as possible, and hoping desperately that the Sky could feel them._

****

_Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna._

****

_We are here._

****

_We love you, little Sky._

* * *

Tsuna woke to tiny fingers running through his hair, the touch soft and careful.  The action was so soothing that he wanted to fall back asleep, his body and mind prepared to curl back into darkness, but then he realized where he was and what had happened.  Being beaten at school, crying to his pacifiers. Why was he feeling tiny fingers? Who else was in his room?

****

Tsuna jerked up in alarm, scooting back until he hit the wall.  

****

Before him was a baby in a suit.  He wore a fedora on his head and his curly black sideburns were cute if a bit strange.  Tsuna barely noticed these details because all his attention had narrowed in on what was around the baby’s neck.  It didn’t look quite the same anymore - for one it was a bright solid yellow - but Tsuna recognized it right away.  It was one of his pacifiers. It had to be. He would know his pacifiers anywhere.

****

“Ciaossu, Tsuna.” The baby spoke.  His voice was high and squeaky, but it felt warm like the sun, as warm as the fondness radiating from his black eyes.  No one but Tsuna's mother had ever looked at him that way. “I’m Reborn and I am here to be your friend.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> _“Home,” said Tsuna, eyes soft and a smile stretching his lips. “I’ll call you Home.”_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Reborn couldn’t help smirking once his nickname was decided upon, especially as he could feel his fellow Arcobaleno bristling in response. Tsuna had been giving all of them names, but to call Reborn ‘Home’? They couldn’t help feeling jealous over the fondness in Tsuna’s voice._
> 
>  
> 
> _Tsuna wouldn't hear him, but Reborn replied anyway: “Welcome back.” ___


End file.
